thurston



E. B. THURSTON.

ELEVATOR GATE DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED muza, 1917.

1,330,412. Patenmd Feb. 10,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1- 29 42 3o 28 44 4 34 35 25 F1 ELI H 4 a 1 4e aw 4a E. B. THURSTON.

ELEVATOR G-ATE DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23. I917.

1 F$3U 4 l 2 Patent Feb. 10, 1920.

SHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT UFFTQFI.

ERNEST B. TI-IUBSTON, OF TGLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE HAUGHTON ELEVATOR & MACHINE 00., F TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ELEVATOR-GATE DEVICE.

Application filed. January 23, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST B. THURsToN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Toledo, Lucas county, Ohio, have invented new and useful Elevator-Grate Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gate operating devices.

This invention has utility when incorporated in gates, especially of the lift type for elevator cars operating in elevator shafts.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view, with parts broken away, of an embodiment of the invention in an elevator;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of a door mounting actuating connection;

Fig. 3 is an enlargement of one of the trip holding devices of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragn'lentary view, partially in plan of the gate controlling and actuating cam;

Fig. 5 is an enlar ed detail of the gate controlling cam in sic e elevation, one of the plates being removed, the cam being shown in starting position with the gate closed;

Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, are views, partially diagrainmatic, of the cam showing successive stages of movement from the initial position of Fig. 5; and r Fig. is a speed curve of the gate travel as efi'ected by the cam.

In the elevator shaft 1 is disposed the car 2 actuable by the cable 3 from the driving motor 4 to pass from a floor or landing 5 to other floors or landings. Extending upward from the landing and inclined into the well to cause the gate traveling therein to clear the next higher landing are the parallel gate guides 6 for the elevator shaft gates 7, each havincr a cable 8 extending therefrom to counterweight 9. Disposed upon the car are the gate guides 10, having adjacent the car floor the offset or inwardly extending portion 11. These guides 10 have recesses 12 therein into which may enter the pins 13 serving as-axles for the guide rollers 14 of the elevator or car gate-15 provided with the actuating cable 16 extending from the bottom of the car throughoutthe extent of the shaft to the lower sheaves 17, 18, upper sheaves 19, 20, and the movable sheave 21 to the pulley 22. This pulley 22 has a bight Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

Serial No. 143,923.

23 thereover of a cable 24 extending between the pair of pins 13. The openings 12 are but slightly smaller than the rollers 14, thereby allowing the pin 13 even with its washer head to enter.

The cable 16 is normally loaded by counterweight 25 connected by cable 26 normally acting through connections to cause the sheave 21 to act on the line 16. Accordingly, the cable 24 holds the springs 27 compressed in operation so that the pins 13 are out of engagement with the recesses 12. Should the counterweight 25 give way or otherwise the line 16 not be held taut, the bight 23 is shortened and the gate is prevented from dropping by the pins .13 being thrust into the openings 12 through the action of the springs 27. There is accordingly provided a safety device for holding the gate 15 from falling should it be in a lifted position in the slack emergency.

Extending from the sheave 21 is the line 28 passing about the guide pulleys 29, 30 and 31, to be anchored to the pulley 32 (Figs. 1, 4 and 5), clamped between the plates 33, 34, fast with the gear 35 on the shaft 36 in the housing 37. These plates 33, 34, carry the sheaves 38, 39, 40, 41, freely revoluble to coiiperate with the sheave 32 in providing a multiple arc cam. The stepup rate of the cam is adjustable by the locking of the pulleys 38, 41, or either thereof in various positions in their radial slots 42, 43. The counterweight line 26 extends over the guide pulleys 44, 45, 46, to be fast with the sheave 32 for opposite direction wind thereabout to the wind of the cable 28. The counterweight 25 accordingly, through this cam, has its relatively similar speed of action transmitted to the car gate 15.

From the controller handle 47 on the car 2, the gate actuating motor 48 may be started when the car is at a landing. This operation of the gate motor through the shaft 49 operates the worm wheel 50 on the shaft 51 having the pinion 52 in mesh with the gear 35.

In the design of this gate operating cam disclosed, the rotation of the gear 35 and its associated cam is through an are somewhat in excess of 360. The picking up of the motor in starting may be construed as the section. 53 of the speed curve, Fig. 10, from which extends the straight speedcurve portion 54 while the cable 28 is winding about the pulley 32 from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 6. 7

At this point in Fig. 6, the roller %1 comes into play and in the movement from the position in Fig. 6 to the position in Fig. 7, at the constant angular veloci y of the shaft 36, there is produced a decided increase in the speed travel of the sliding liftable gate 15 as illustrated by the speed curve portion 55. i r

. As the rotation of the shaft 36 and its cam continues from the position shown in Fig. 7 to that shown in Fig. 8, the gate travel speed may be illustrated by the portion 56 at a quite high velocity for effecting quick gate opening during its major travel operation. However, this rapid gate travel rate with incidental undesirable momentum of the gate is not maintained until the shutting down of the motor. The stopping is gradual for the cam moves from the position in Fig. 8 to the position shown in Fig. 9, as indicated by the speed curve portion 57, The line comes to the roller 38, and as indicated by the curve 58 has a short unwrapping from the roller 32 in the stopping of the motor.

.In the disclosure herein there is not only the purpose of initiating the travel of the elevator gate slowly to minimize strain upon operating parts, then providing a high speed. rate of travel followed by a slowing up or" such speed to a speed approximately but slightly in excess of the travel rate of the gate, but there is the added feature of simultaneously actuating the elevator shaft gate at the particular landing or fioor. This is effected through the ofi setguide 11 throwing the gate 15 outward from the well so that the interengaging means or lug 59 on the gate 15 may pass out to interact or engage the extension or lug 60 on the handling gate 7. This interengagement occurs just after the gate 15 has started say on the slow speed travel portion of the curve in the regions 53, 54. This outward travel of the gate'15. in the engagement has its reverse in the inward travel of the gate 15 to closed position. This return travel brings the lug 59 into aposition such that in the normal travel of the car 2 in the elevator well or shaft 1, there is. clearance of this lug 59 as to the lugs 60 on the various landing doors.

There is accordingly a simple provision, effective by one manipulation, for handling the landing door and the car door simultaneously and effectively, the pick-up of the car door being such as to avoid concussion, the travel rate of the doors being rapid for minimum time loss and the entire operation being simple and mechanically effected, with consideration for avoiding disastrous handling of the working parts. The single safety device {or the car gate, due to the gate intcrcomiection, insures safety as to each landing gate.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A gate operating device including a driving member, a driven gate member, speed detern'iining operating connections between the members including a cam having a first portion effecting a starting acceleration and a second portion a further acceleration in gate member travel, a counterweight, and means extending from the cam to the gate member and to the C(|1l1li10] wei 'ht for effecting uniform action of the counterweight as to the gate member.

2.18. gate operating device including a driving member of uniform angular velocity, a driven member, and intermediate transmission mechanism actuable by the driving member to start actuation of the driven member with increase of travel. rate from such start, and means .ior adjusting the mechanism for changing the s1 eed-up rate of the driven member.

3. A slidable gate, guide ways in which the gate is slidable, an operating device for the gate including a drivin member, a counterweight for the gate, and transmission mechanism between the gate and counterweight, said mechanism embodying a rotatable member having a plurality of ditferent drivingrate portions in its peripheral extent efiiecting a definite starting and stopping speed and an increased intermediate speed simultaneously tor both the gate and counterweight.

4. A first gate, automatic multiple speed driving mean therefor including a first speed and a second higher speed, a second gate, and means coacting with the first gate during its travel in first speed for connecting the second gate to travel with the first gate during the travel of the first gate at S(.('. 0nd speed.

5. A gate operating device en'lbodying a speed controlling cam having two terminal slow speed portions and an intermediate connecting increased speed portion, a gate actuating cable about the cam, in cam operation coacting first with a slow speed ter minal portion, then with an increased speed intermediate portion. and thereafter with a slower speed terminal portion and d1'iv ing means for actuating the cam in one direction for opening the gate and in an opposite direction for closing the gate in etfecting slow speed gate starting and slow speed gate stopping in each direction of gate travel with intermediate higher speed. 6. Interconnecting means for simultaneous multiple gate opening and closing de vices embodying a pair of gates, gate connecting interengaging means. and control means for causing a gate to travel toward an opposing gate to connect the gates through the interengaging means, said con trol means including a fixed guide for a gate and a relatively movable guide for a gate, one of said guides being directed toward the other for an initial portion of its extent, whereby the gates may have relative travel independently of the operation of said interengaging means.

7. An elevator car having a slidable gate, a guide for the gate to shift the gate outward in its initial travel, an elevator shaft for the car, a gate for the shaft engageable by the outward shifting of the car gate to be opened simultaneously therewith.

8. An elevator shaft having a slidable gate, a car therein provided with a slidable gate, guides for the gates offsetting the travel of one gate as to the other, and interengaging means relatively shiftable by said guides into coacting position.

9. An elevator shaft, a landing gate which in its closed position at a landing is outside said shaft, an elevator in said shaft, and opposing parallel guide means for the gate inclined from closed position outside said shaft into the elevator shaft for directing the gate in its opening travel into the line of the elevator travel, whereby closing of the gate will clear the elevator shaft for elevator travel.

10. An elevator shaft having therefrom a plurality of floors, an elevator in said shaft, a slidable gate at one floor movable to closed position to rest on said floor, and a guide for the gate inclined into the shaft in line of elevator travel to direct the gate travel in opening into the shaft to clear the floor toward which it is slidable.

11. A way, a well gate, a laterally adjacent car gate, each gate simultaneously fully closing a common portion of said way, a guide for one of the gates initiating its travel direction toward the other gate, and means coacting between the gates upon said relative travel toward each other for effecting simultaneous gate travel.

12'. An elevator gate, a slidable way for the gate having recesses, gate lifting means including a cable, a plunger connected to the cable, a gate guiding roller in the way through which roller the plunger extends, and a spring for thrusting the plunger through the roller toward the way recesses.

13. A way, a well gate, a laterally adjacent car gate, an elevator car movable to bring the car gate as closed to register in also closing the way as closed by the well gate, a guide for one of the gates directing it toward the other in its travel, actuating means for such gate, and means coacting between the gates for automatic pick-up and release of the second gate adjacent its way closing position.

14. A gate operating device cam embodying an annular series of rollers, driving means for the cam, a gate, a counterweight, and flexible means engaging the rollers for oppositely wrapping about the cam and extending to said gate and counterweight.

15. A gate operating device cam having a concentric and eccentric rollers, cable means oppositely extending thereabout from the concentric roller, a gate to which a one direction wrapping of the means extends, and a counterweight to which the other direction wrapping of the means extends.

In witness whereof I affix my signature.

ERNEST B. THURSTON. 

